Airtel says they will also credit Rs 10 to the accounts of each of these 80 million users so that they can make calls and send messages. They say these measures will particularly benefit migrant workers and daily wage earners who may have been impacted due to the nationwide lockdown to combat COVID-19

Bharti Airtel has announced that it is extending the validity of connections of as many as 80 million prepaid users in India, to help them get through the COVID-19 lockdown period without stressing out about recharging their phones. This is particularly relevant for the low-income users who may not have a source right now to get a new recharge pack added to their Airtel prepaid mobile account. Airtel says that the prepaid validity for over 80 million customers is now April 17, 2020. This means if you Airtel prepaid recharge validity was due to end in the coming days, it stands extended till the end of the lockdown period, as we speak.

Airtel says they will also credit Rs 10 to the accounts of each of these 80 million users so that they can make calls and send messages to their friends and family. This, and the extension of the validity period means Airtel prepaid users will continue to get incoming calls on their phone even after the plan is exhausted. “In this difficult hour of fighting off the threat of Covid-19, Airtel is committed to ensuring that all people remain connected without any disruptions. And for this objective, it is critical to take care of the under-privileged daily wage earners of our country, whose lives have been disrupted due to the lock-down,” says Shashwat Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer, Bharti Airtel.

Airtel believes that extending these benefits to 80 million prepaid mobile customers should effectively cover all under-privileged households that may be on the Airtel Network. “These special measures will particularly benefit migrant workers and daily wage earners who may have been impacted due to the nationwide lockdown to combat COVID-19. All other customers on Airtel’s network are already recharging their accounts using online platforms,” says Bharti Airtel in a statement.

The company says these benefits will be active on the prepaid accounts within the next 48 hours.